Žarko Vižintin has been involved in working with olive groves in the Vipava Valley for 17 years. In recent years, with his family, wife Silva and son Martin, they have also paid more attention to tourism. “It’s right for people who stop by us to see how and from what we live. Open villages are a great opportunity for the entire local community, not just for the individuals who have joined this story”, says Žarko. And he mentions many, even random guests, who often stop by his olive grove. "Nothing can beat the experience of a visitor coming to us from the city and trying home-grown extra virgin olive oil with bread baked in a bread oven."
Žarko says that they always know how to take good care of a guest. "In addition to top-quality olive oil, we also offer home-baked bread baked in a bread oven". Since top-quality customer service is important to them, they appreciate when guests call in advance so they can take time to prepare a wholesome experience. “I am happy to take visitors to an old olive grove, tell them our story and describe the work we do in the orchard. The responses from guests are sincere. And they remain in the memory forever, such as the family from Dol near Ljubljana, who invited us to their Charcoal Land and we became friends. And a tourist with a Swedish license plate, who turned out to be from Pula, who stopped at Ošterija Branik and tasted our oil there. The waiter told him where to find us and he really came. He even bought the last three bottles. It is interesting that they have excellent olive oil in Istria, but he said that he likes ours better" adds Žare. The quality of the oil is highlighted by the numerous awards and medals hanging on the wall in the tasting room that the Vižintin family received for their oils at various competitions. Due to the abundance of work in the olive grove, they are unable to attend all the evaluations, often sending samples and receiving word of first place position over the phone.
Due to their desire to constantly improve, the family is constructing a bigger tasting room in which guests will have the opportunity to taste four types of olive oils, including oil with chili and čemaž. They are usually assisted in their everyday work tasks by friends, but guests of the Open Villages can always join. In addition to knowledge and effort, a lot of perseverance and love has been invested in the production of Ronki olive oil. It's worth a taste.
